1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to toner container structures for image forming devices, and more particularly to a toner container structure having a rotating toner transfer mechanism that includes a rotating member for cleaning toner from the surfaces of the toner transfer mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming devices including copiers, laser printers, facsimile machines, and the like, include a photoconductive drum having a rigid cylindrical surface that is coated along a defined length of its outer surface. The surface of the drum is charged to a uniform electrical potential and is selectively exposed to light in a pattern corresponding to an original image. The areas of the drum surface exposed to light are discharged and form a latent electrostatic image on the drum surface. Developer material, such as toner having an electrical charge, is attracted to the drum surface and is used for forming the toned image.
The toner is typically contained in structure such as a cartridge adjacent to the photoconductive drum for supplying the image forming material to a developer roller and to the photoconductive drum for forming a toned image. The toner is typically transferred to the developer roller from a working reservoir within the cartridge. A toner transfer mechanism transfers amounts of toner from a storage reservoir to the working reservoir when the system calls for toner. A recording sheet, such as a blank sheet of paper, is charged and brought into contact with the discharged photoconductive drum surface and the toned image thereon forming the toner image is electrostatically transferred to the recording sheet in the form of a toned electrostatic image. The recording sheet is then heated to permanently fuse the toner to the sheet.
Additional background information on the structure and operation of image forming devices and toner container structures and toner supply mechanisms disposed within image forming devices generally may be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,291 to Campbell et al., and to U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2008/0219709, by Hebner et al.
In the event that the toner contained in the cartridge has poor flow properties, the toner transfer mechanism alone may not properly, sufficiently and consistently transfer toner from the toner storage reservoir to the working reservoir. The toner may build up on the surfaces of the toner transfer mechanism with the result that the amount of toner transferred by the transfer mechanism is not consistent from one transfer event to another also referred to a toner metering cycles. Estimating toner consumption and cartridge life can therefore be problematic and toner transfer may become insufficient to sustain acceptable print quality.
There is, therefore, a need for a toner container structure having structure or mechanism for cleaning toner from the surfaces of the toner transfer mechanism to ensure that the amounts of toner transferred in the transfer events or toner metering cycles are substantially consistent.